2013 Moto2 and Moto3 Jerez February Test Day 2 Press Releases

Press releases from some of the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after the second day of testing at Jerez:

FOLGER CHALLENGES SPANISH DOMINATION AT JEREZ

MAPFRE Aspar improves rear feeling and finishes fourth fastest on second day of Moto3 test

There were grey skies again at Jerez this morning but thankfully, unlike yesterday, the clouds shifted to make way for sunshine and ideal conditions for the second day of Moto3 preseason testing. Some overnight damp began to clear as soon as the riders took to the track from around 11am, from which point the timesheets were largely dominated by home favourites. The exception to the rule was Germany's Jonas Folger, one of four riders lapping within the same second in a tight lead bunch.

MAPFRE Aspar rider Folger's main focus today was finding more rear grip from his Kalex, largely through experimenting with suspension settings and ride height. The German's best lap came during an hour of practice reserved exclusively for the Moto3 class, when he was the fastest rider on track with a 1'47.719. On the other side of the MAPFRE Aspar garage Eric Granado continued his adaptation to the Moto3 class, the Brazilian also working on his position on the bike as he gathered crucial information ahead of his rookie season. The youngster finished up with the 19th fastest time, around 2.7 seconds off the day's quickest rider.

4th Jonas Folger 1.47.719 (46 laps): "The weather was much better today than yesterday and we were able to get some work done. We continued to focus on finding more rear traction and found a more positive setting that gave me more confidence. We did a lot of set-up work at Valencia without worrying about the lap times and here we have been able to reap the fruit of those efforts to an extent. We have worked on used tyres and fresh rubber and the feeling with the bike was great. We'll try to get a race simulation done tomorrow and see how consistent we can be with the set-up we found today. We are gradually closing the gap to the guys at the top so I am satisfied that we are doing a good job."

19th Eric Granado 1.49.534 (48 laps): "Today has been a fantastic day with perfect weather. We had to wait a little while to get out on track because the asphalt was damp from the overnight rain but we got down to work around lunchtime and played around with the ride height, geometry settings and suspension. We also got to test some different tyre compounds and as well as gathering a mountain of information the lap times were pretty good too. It's a steep learning curve but hopefully we get the right weather to stay on an upward trend tomorrow."

Salom, Khairuddin and Sissis continue progress at Jerez

Moto3 test at Jerez sees sunny conditions and Luis Salom taking third best time of the day, riding alongside Khairuddin and Sissis.

20/02/13 - Circuito de Jerez

It was a positive second day of testing at the Circuito de Jerez today. Fine weather allowed the Red Bull KTM riders the chance to put in dry laps, and Luis Salom took third on the timesheet behind Viñales and Rins. Teammates Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Arthur Sissis were twentieth and twenty-fourth, respectively.

After rain yesterday, early mist meant that Day 2 got off to a slow start. However, the sun came out to dry the track, and Salom, Khairuddin y Sissis were able to begin their work.

Salom was the first of the three to go out, waiting until 12:30pm to leave the garage and completing 15 laps. Khairuddin and Sissis were close behind, in a session in which the Malaysian rider tried out different chassis setups.

In the hour dedicated exclusively to Moto3, Salom needed just two laps to improve on his morning time. The Spaniard rode 12 laps in the second session. Khairuddin also improved various times on his best lap, finally stopping the clock with a 1’49.553.

In the final session, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s number 39 fought for the top time with Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales, setting a quickest lap of 1’47.109. Khairuddin did not emerge from the pits, whilst Sissis focused on bettering his KTM setup, with a final time of 1’49.796.

Tomorrow sees the third and final day of testing at the Circuito de Jerez.

Results

1. Maverick Viñales (KTM) 1:46.805

2. Alex Rins (KTM) 1:46.881 +0.006

3. Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.109 +0.304

4. Jonas Folger (Kalex KTM) 1:47.719 +0.914

5. Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra) 1:47.958 +1.153

20. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:49.553 +2.748

24. Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:49.769 +2.964

Luis Salom

"Today we were able to take advantage of the good weather and have been riding very fast. In the end we were just three tenths off the top time. We are very happy, because in the end there are no big differences between us and, on the fastest lap I clocked, I know I lost a bit of time on a couple of corners. As I said in Valencia, it is the first time that we are really testing, and I am very happy. In addition, the team is working very well and I am adapting well to their workrate."

Arthur Sissis

"Yesterday we went well in the wet and, although today we did not do too many laps, we improved on the final runs, which is important. The forecast for tomorrow is rain, so it seems that today was the only dry day for this test, but I’m feeling good in the wet and yesterday we found a good setup for those conditions.”

Zulfahmi Khairuddin

"Today we felt really good. The weather was perfect and we were able to do more testing with the new bike. We hope that tomorrow the conditions are like today. I can’t wait to continue testing, and I think that the team and KTM are doing a good job.”

ANTONELLI FINALLY ON TRACK WITH TEAM GO&FUN HONDA GRESINI AT JEREZ

After completing just a handful of laps at Valencia last week and with yesterday's opening day of testing Jerez hit by weather Niccolò Antonelli was finally able to get out on track today and complete 23 meaningful laps on his Moto3 bike. It was enough time to show that Niccolò has not lost any of his natural ability even if he is still only around 50% fit. The Italian youngster showed his trademark courage and determination to clock some impressive lap times whilst being careful not to take too many risks. His new team-mate Lorenzo Baldassarri was also impressive and after being amongst the pacesetters in the wet yesterday he was able to spend today working on his dry pace, a process that was mildly hindered by a small crash.

Niccolò Antonelli “I was really looking forward to getting out on track and putting a strong pace together. Obviously I am still not in great shape but we have taken a positive step today. I could have maybe gone faster at the end but I didn't want to overdo it. I need to find my pace in a methodic and sensible way. Hopefully we get good weather tomorrow so that we can continue the important job of putting consistent laps together and finding our pace. Overall I am satisfied and hope we can continue like this.”

Lorenzo Baldassarri “I was really strong in the wet yesterday and didn't ride badly today either so I am satisfied. We are working to find a consistent pace and a good setting for the bike that allows me to take steps forward. Unfortunately when we did find a good solution I pushed too hard and had a silly crash. I need a lot more laps so we'll keep going tomorrow and hopefully get the right conditions to improve my feeling with the bike. It has been another positive day but I am determined to make more improvements.”

After a difficult opening day due to inclement weather Moto2 testing continued at Jerez today under welcome blue skies and in pleasant spring temperatures, making for ideal conditions that saw the 2011 circuit record of 1'42.706 set by current MotoGP star Stefan Bradl smashed. The day was again dominated by Spanish riders, who took three of the top five spots with Pol Espargaró leading the way, Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) and Scott Redding (GBR) also staking their claim for preseason superiority.

Between them the ASPAR Team's two riders completed no fewer than 144 laps, 64 by Nico Terol and 80 from Jordi Torres, as they tested a variety of set-up solutions. Terol was able to confirm his excellent form from last week's test at Valencia, setting a consistent pace in the 1'43s and finishing the day fifth fastest overall. Torres met his target of staying inside the top ten throughout preseason, despite completing his first dry laps of Jerez on Dunlop tyres. After struggling for rear grip in some areas the Spaniard put in a long stint at the end of the day to gather vital data about the British rubber.

5th Nico Terol 1.43.232 (64 laps): "Today has been a really good day. The weather was perfect but the track was damp this morning and we couldn't really get started until 1pm. The lap times came quickly though and I was able to set a consistent pace in the mid 1'43s, even though I struggled to go any faster than that. I am satisfied with our work today but determined to improve tomorrow. We improved every day at Valencia so that's the target here. Pol set an excellent lap but he already has a good base setting from last year so I imagine it wasn't difficult for him to find his pace early. I am happy with the way our team is working and I feel we have a large margin for improvement. As the day progressed we improved front feel under braking at various points around the track and worked on the geometry to find more stability, as well as finding a way to get on the gas earlier. I am happy to be fifth fastest today but hope to improve on that tomorrow."

8th Jordi Torres 1.43.549 (80 laps): "The conditions were perfect for us to work in today and we were able to spend a lot of time working on improving rear grip. We tried some different shock settings and played around with the ride height to try and find a bit more traction. During the hour reserved exclusively for Moto2 we put some fresh tyres on but one of them was faulty so we focused our work on the final session of the day and set about completing a 20-lap run. My fastest times came on the last two laps so it was obviously a constructive exercise in finding out more about how these tyres work. It seems daft but I have never ridden at Jerez on Dunlop before and I could really feel the difference."

Niklas Ajo continues preseason testing at Jerez

Avant Tecno KTM rider undertakes first laps at Circuito de Jerez after playing safe with adverse weather conditions yesterday.

20/02/13 - Circuito de Jerez

Niklas Ajo was on track this Wednesday for the first time at the second Official Test for the Moto3 riders, held at the Circuito de Jerez. Ajo had skipped Day 1 due to intense rain and strong winds, deciding to wait for better conditions. The Avant Tecno KTM rider made up for lost time, clocking 40 laps of the Spanish track and acheiving a best time of 1'50.140.

He went out on track at 1pm local time, having waited for the sun to dry out the damp patches left from yesterday. In the remaining 40 minutes of the session, Ajo undertook 12 laps and had a best time of 1’50.685.

In the afternoon he rode from the first minute onwards, in a session set aside for the Moto3 riders. He improved his best lap by half a second. In the final runout, the Finn added another 12 laps, ending the day with a fastest time of 1'50.572.

Niklas Ajo will try out further settings for his KTM tomorrow, in the third and final day of the Jerez test.

SECOND TEST DAY IN JEREZ

After the rain of yesterday, today the sun shines on Jerez circuit for the second day of test for Moto2 and Moto3 classes.

Johann Zarco continues his work of development on the new Suter and today has done 81 laps finishing in 9th position with 1’43.671 at 1.339 from Esargaro’s best time. The Came Iodaracing Team rider has worked a lot on the chassis and the suspensions of his bike with used tyres with wich has got his best lap.

Johann Zarco, Pilota Moto2 # 5: "It’s not easy to comment this day: I’m not satisfied for the gap from Espargaro, instead I’m very happy for the work that I did with my team because now my bike in very good and tomorrow we can do easily the same time of the top rider with some little modification to my Suter”.